Food Sharing Edinburgh

15 million Tonnes of food is wasted annually in the UK, according to a government funded research report (WRAP). Of this, 48% occurs on house-hold level…

We are uniting to lower this statistic.

Of the food that is thrown away half of it is perfectly edible, and the other half is a result of poor management and a broken economic, political and social system. At the same time more than 800 million people in the world sleep hungry. The problem is not of insufficient food, since globally we produce more than enough food for all of us (1/3 of food produced is wasted across globally), but is one of an inequitable system. 28% of our agricultural land is used to produce food that will be wasted. This picture is very real and distressing; tonnes of perfectly edible food is wasted in the same city where people are struggling to eat once a day. This state has resulted from our dereliction of care towards people and the planet.

Food Sharing Edinburgh was established in Edinburgh in late 2013, and is now rapidly expanding, based on a very similar German concept. Currently the main function that Food Sharing performs is connecting people so they can exchange their excess food instead of wasting it, i.e. facilitating interception of food. Firstly it connects individuals with excess food on a citizen level since 50% of food waste occurs from households. Connections are currently established via a Facebook group, with a website in the works. Secondly, Food Sharing volunteers collect food from businesses and redistribute it around the community to friends, family, neighbours, charities, poor, homeless and shelters. There is no barrier or specific level of income that Food Sharing works for, but is an inclusive network for people from all social, economic and backgrounds.

It includes local community members, travelers, students, co-operatives and businesses. It has grown out of its original goal of just saving food from waste into much more: an open and collaborative community of people united by the common goal of viewing food for people and planet, not as a commodity — a collective vision; a social responsibility; a reach towards a sustainable future.